Shake It, Morena! and Other Folklore from Puerto Rico

This is the second book by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand that I have read and I must say, it bothers me that the children illustrated in these pages don't look like me or the people I know. Not one has curly hair and not one goes a shade deeper than honey. That's just not a true depiction of the children in Puerto Rico that play these games on a daily.

The best story by far is The Legend of the Hummingbird, the hummingbirds origin story as told by the Taino people. As romantic as this story should be along with a whole host of lessons to be learned, it is quite cruel. A beautiful story that doesn't quite end the way it should and could possibly give permission to continue picando flor.

In the book, you have one mention of our African ancestry and it is because the word Morena is used... Y'all... we NEED to do better.